TAE: The Lost Chapters
by Amariahellcat
Summary: A collection of oneshots based on TAE books 1-4. Contains CanonxOC pairings
1. Story 1: Comfort

**Authors Note:** Hey guys! I bet you're wondering exactly what this is, huh? Well, basically, a few ideas have hit me from different periods of time during TAE that never fit into the books themselves, and so this was created. What **TAE: The Lost Chapters** is going to be is a collection of oneshots based on TAE that never took place within the stories themselves. They'll come from each era, different situations, and won't really connect or go in order; they will also vary in regards to ratings.

That said, enjoy the first oneshot, and have a great 2010!

* * *

**Title:** Comfort

**Era:** Book 2

**Rating:** PG-13

**Prompt:** Old habits die hard; Tera comforts her friend after he's woken by a violent nightmare.

**Dedicated to:** Misa 3

xXxXxXxXx

For several seconds, Tera couldn't figure out why she was awake.

Just a moment ago she'd been fast asleep, curled under the thin blanket of her bed, unperturbed by the constant sounds of sirens and zoomers and people just outside her window. The noise had bothered her at first, when they had only just arrived, but after two years she'd gotten used to it. Haven was nothing like Sandover; she'd simply had to adapt.

But now, for no apparent reason, she was awake; still drowsy, of course, and groggy from the sudden shift in consciousness, staring at the numbers of the clock sitting on her nightstand. Four thirty AM; what in precursors sake had woken her up…?

Slowly becoming more lucid, the first thing the girl took into account was that, for once, she was the sole occupant of her small bed. This was a bit odd; normally Jak would have come in a few minutes after she'd gone to bed, plunking down behind her and stealing her blankets. Surely this wasn't the reason she was awake, though; it had been _hours_ since she'd gone to bed. The lack of her friend would have bothered her before now, surely?

A quiet noise drew her attention then, the channeler sitting up and glancing at the door, frowning. The noise came again, louder, and Tera was on her feet in seconds. Shuffling and moving around was what she was hearing, and it stirred memories of Sandover, nights spent sleeping over at Jak's uncles with he and Daxter.

Memories of the nightmares that used to plague the boy.

Back then, it wasn't uncommon for her to be woken in the middle of the night by Jak thrashing around in bed, sweating and making what noise he could, being a mute. They'd always managed to wake him up, she and Daxter, and to calm him down and get him back to sleep.

It had been a month now that Jak had been back, and this was the first time she'd heard movements like those from their younger days in all that time; it worried her.

"Jak…?" Tera quietly pushed the door open, peering in cautiously. It was just as she'd feared, though; he was twisted in his sheets, thrashing around and muttering in various tones, eco flickering occasionally.

Used to such a sight, the blonde girl approached carefully, kneeling on the bed once she was close enough and reaching out to press down on his shoulder, just a light touch, just enough to startle his sleeping mind a little. "Jak," she called softly, shaking him a little, "Jak, wake up. It's just a dream, just a bad dream."

Her fingers squeezed a little then, and Jak's eyes shot open with a gasp, shooting up in bed. His eyes jumped around the room, fuzzy for a moment before focusing on her, becoming suddenly clear, "T-tera?"

"Just a nightmare." She held his gaze, hand still pressed to his shoulder lightly.

They stayed like that for a moment, just staring at each other, before he grimaced, eyebrows drawing down over his eyes as he sighed and turned away from her, towards the window. This surprised her; he'd never done this back in Sandover.

He was trying to shut her out, she realized, trying to deal with it by himself. She wouldn't let him.

Jak stiffened when a pair of slim arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind, feeling her lean against his back, cheek between his shoulder blades. Tera said nothing for several minutes, just leaning against him, holding onto him.

"Don't block me out," she whispered finally, grip tightening just a bit, "Don't try to deal with everything by yourself. I couldn't help you for two years; let me help now."

The tension went out of him in a rush, a hand coming up to cover her much smaller one. "Not used to it anymore." He managed, licking dry lips, "Being… touched. Helped."

"I know."

"I was in prison again," he was talking about the dream now, "Back in that damned chair, having the eco pumped into me all over again while Praxis watched. Helpless, again."

Tera gave him a silent squeeze, the action calming him more than words ever could.

"Never again." She promised softly, "We won't let them do that again. I promise."

"Thanks."

"Mm." they sat there for a while, her arms still around him, his hand still on hers. When she couldn't feel any more tension in him, she lifted her head a little, eyes drooping now from lack of sleep, "You okay now?"

"Yeah."

"Kay." Tera moved to pull her arms away, but his hand suddenly tightened over hers, stopping her, "Jak?"

"Don't go," his voice was rough, worn out, like a soldier coming home from a million battles, "Stay."

The girl flushed just a little, but relented with a small smile, removing only one arm so that he wouldn't lay on it, the other returning the squeeze, "Alright, I'll stay."

Jak only made a noise in his throat, lying down and taking the girl with him, still gripping her hand. Tera settled behind him, murmuring a sleepy "G'night…" before drifting off.

It was the best sleep either had ever had.


	2. Story 2: Snow Days

**Authors Note:** I get the distinct feeling that this is going to be updated a bit more frequently then Book 4 itself, oops. This oneshot works with the assumption that it does snow _sometime_ of the year in Haven, since it's never stated that it doesn't or anything; it is also adding an event that didn't truly happen (aka the snowfall itself) And now, enjoy!

* * *

**Title: **Snow Days

**Era:** Mid-Book 2 (Sometime after rescuing Samos)

**Rating:** PG-13 for minor swearing

**Prompt:** Even back in the days of Sandover, Tera never liked the cold; she definitely never liked the snow. But a little fun out in the white fluff may change her perspective a bit.

**Dedicated to:** Miisa again, because her excitement at seeing snow was what first brought this idea to mind.

xXxXxXxXx

If there was one thing that Tera hated more than Lurkers, more than metal heads or Baron Praxis or yellow eco, it was the cold. And there was one thing she hated even more then the cold.

That damned white fluffy crap generally referred to as 'snow'.

As she knew from the two year's she and Daxter had spent free in Haven while Jak was held captive, it tended to snow at random times during a certain point of the year in the city, an annoying fact that she'd had to put up with. Back in Sandover it had been all sun all the time; only once had she had to put up with the chilliness that snow brought along with it, up on the Snowy Mountains back when they were fighting Gol and Maia.

There, snow had been expected. Here, it was a random, pain-in-the-ass event.

When she'd woken to find herself shivering (worse than usual, considering her bed-buddy had again stolen her blankets) and had looked out her window only to see white, she'd known immediately it was going to be a bad day. Lo and behold, her prediction had held true.

Barely seconds later, her comm. had gone off, summoning she and Jak and Daxter back over to the Underground to take care of some smaller issues. Muttering the whole time, Tera had bundled herself up in the extra layers she kept just for these situations and forced herself to leave the apartment, ignoring the laughter of her two companions.

Blue eco channelers were thin and tiny; they weren't _made_ for cold weather, dammit.

Although the things that Torn had called them for were small matters, it took most of the morning to finish everything, and the trio headed home mid-afternoon through snow that was at least two feet deep, trudging as slowly as everyone else and hoping no guards would recognize them (not that they ever did, the idiots).

The Baron was unusually quiet today, they had already noted; no announcements rang out over the speakers, no Hellcats flew overhead, and barely any guards actually walked the street for once. It seemed almost as though the snow had put a damper on even Praxis' plans for the day, and as such Tera grudgingly gave the snow a point for the better.

If it kept the Baron from going through with any new schemes, it couldn't be _all_ bad.

Or so she thought until someone decided to brush the snow off their balcony railing.

"FUCK!"

Jak halted mid-step at the loud curse from behind him, whirling with his hand on his gun, ready to shoot whatever had made her swear so openly. What confronted him instead made both he and Daxter paused, stare for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

"This _isn't_ funny! _Shit_!" the blonde girl glared vehemently at her so called friends, but the snow still falling from her head just made them laugh all the louder.

Huffing, Tera shook her head to dislodge the rest of the white from her hair, grumbling to herself as she bent and scooped up an armful of snow, approaching the boys while they were still busy laughing. Then, standing on her tiptoes, she dumped it right on Jak's head.

"Guh-!" that stopped the laughter, the male going bug-eyed as he swatted the snow from his hair, shivering now. Narrowed eyes went to the smirking face of his friend, teeth bared playfully as he bent to scoop up a handful, molding it into a ball, "You're gonna regret that, Ter."

"Eeep!" Tera squeaked and dodged the ball he threw at her, making a face back at him before taking off, laughing when he ran after her, still throwing snowballs. At one point she stopped and spun around, catching him in the chest with one of her own before running off again, dodging people in the streets as they ran around throwing snow at each other, Daxter still clinging to Jak's shoulder.

They wouldn't make it home till much later that night, all three soaked to the bone and shivering, but smiling as they hadn't in quite a long time.


	3. Story 3: BedHog

**Title:** Bed-Hog

**Era:** Mid-Book 3

**Rating: **PG

**Prompt:** Since coming to Spargus, Tera has enjoyed having her own bed and, thus, _not_ having her blankets stolen every night. But the peace can never last for long…

**Dedication:** Tasha-face, cause these situations always seem to entertain her.

It had been a long time since Tera had woken up shivering and reaching around for her blankets, the situation she now found herself in.

Part of that was the fact that Spargus was much warmer then Haven, and thus she hardly even needed the same amount of covers that she had in the metallic city. The second was this little thing called having a bed alllll to herself.

Upon being admitted to Spargus and given a flat, Tera had been delighted at what the bedroom contained; two single beds on either side of the room. This meant not only would they all be in the same room to sleep, but that Jak wouldn't be able to steal her blankets anymore.

Really, Tera loved the guy, and she hadn't minded sharing a bed with him both in Sandover and Haven, but having him steal her blankets night after night and leaving her freezing in the morning? _That _she didn't like; the prospect of having her own bed that he _couldn't_ invade had made her giddy.

And now, after three months or so in the desert city, and having never had an issue with being cold in the morning, Tera awoke to find herself _freezing_. Not only that, but something heavy and fairly-warm was draped over her mid-section, with something else pressed against her back.

And the thing was _breathing_.

Tera's eyes snapped open as soon as she'd realized that little fact, face flushing cherry red when she figured out exactly what was going on. The thing over her stomach was an _arm_, and the thing behind her was quite obviously Jak himself, curled around her and _somehow_ managing to stay on the small bed.

He'd probably moved to where he was while being half asleep, and as such Tera was determined to get him out of her bed before he could wake up and question exactly what was going on. She carefully lifted his arm off her stomach and then moved quickly, shoving him off the bed and down onto the floor.

"Ow!" Jak was awake instantly, looking around in confusion. What the hell… how did he get on the floor? Beside _Ters_ bed, of all places? Looking up, he frowned, shaking his head and heading back to his own bed. Naw, she wouldn't know; Tera was still asleep, curled completely within her covers. The warrior couldn't remember having moved, and certainly wasn't about to wake her up over it.

For Tera's part, she remained completely silent, just breathing softly; but had he looked, Jak would have seen her grinning brightly.


	4. Story 4: The One We Couldn't Save

**Authors Note:** Hey all, I'm back with another oneshot! (And possibly another chapter on Book 4, but we'll see how that goes). This one is semi-sad, but more just deals with the guilt some characters likely felt after certain events. I've been replaying Jak3 and the one part struck me suddenly, so I decided to write about it. Anyways, enjoy!

**Title: **The One We Couldn't Save

**Era:** Post Jak3, just after end-game

**Rating:** PG-13

**Prompt:** Being basically the only blue channeler left in existence, Tera takes it upon herself to help out the now digitalized-Vin reset and recode everything in the control room, feeling guiltier then she ever has.

**Dedication: **Everyone who was sad about what happened to Vin.

* * *

"A little more to the left! No, more to the right! No, to the _right_!"

"_Daxter_."

"Perfect!" the ottsel squeaked, grinning up at the now-fixed sign of the Naughty Ottsel, "Good work, Jaky-boy! Couldn't have done it better myself."

Jak only smirked, leaping down from beside the sign and landing smoothly beside his friend. Several guards muttered about it, a few pedestrians whispered or giggled, but he paid them no mind. They weren't important; right now, the only person he was interested in was…

"Where's Tera?"

Daxter shrugged, leaping up onto his friends shoulder as he headed for the bars entrance, "Beats me, I haven't seen her since this morning. Relax, buddy," the ottsel couldn't help but tease, "Ter's a big girl, and there ain't nothin' to hurt her here, she's fine."

"Yeah." Not that that made him feel any better; old habits die hard. He didn't like her being out of his sight.

Inside, Torn was bent over the command centre as usual; they hadn't had the time to transfer the information over to HQ yet. He was in the middle of a conversation but glanced up at them with a nod, still talking, "How's the rewiring going over there?"

"_Almost done_." The familiar voice had Jak's eyes locked on the console in a second, though no hologram floated there today, "_Just have a few connections left to make, and things'll be-hey! Vin, wait, I can't go that fast!_"

"_You're a blue eco channeler, your specialty is speed!_" the electronic voice could only be what was left of Vin, a grumble sounding from the girl.

"Alright, you're free to go whenever you finish, Eco, just get those things fixed."

"_Will do."_ The signal went dead, and Torn turned to find Jak giving him a weird look.

"What?"

"You still call her Eco." Jak couldn't help but smirk, arms crossed, "It's not like we're in the middle of a war anymore, Torn."

"Habit, Jak; I didn't know her actual name till you came into the picture, if you'll recall." The FL commander gave a smirk of his own, "I knew you were looking for her, blondie; she's the only one who can touch those wires without getting zapped by the eco. You go get her and head home, you've done enough for one day."

"Thanks, Torn." The wastelander nodded once, heading back out and hopping on his jet board. There was no point in grabbing a zoomer; either Tera would have one with her, or she'd taken her own jet board. It wasn't as though the transport back to Spargus was all that far away from the control room. He dropped Dax off at the gun course and waved good bye as he sped on, mind focused simply on avoiding pedestrians and getting to the control room as quickly as possible.

Luckily, it was getting darker, which meant less people still wandered the half-repaired streets of the city. This added to the fact that KG bots and metal heads no longer wandered the city made jet boarding to the control room quite a bit easier, Jak gliding up the proper ramp within ten minutes.

He dismounted outside and stepped forwards through the opened doors, quiet as he entered. He could see Vin's digital 'head' floating above the control panels, yapping away as usual. Tera stood with her back to him, looking as though she were checking all the switches and buttons that littered the main console, speaking much more quietly then Vin.

As he approached, 'Vin' turned to look at him, digital features breaking into a huge grin, "Jak! Long time no see, buddy! We just finished getting things all set up, Tera's been a great help!"

"Hey, I just did what you told me to, Vin," modest as ever, the blonde girl turned to give her boyfriend a tiny smile, looking tired, "Hey, Jak."

"Hey." Jak strode forwards and put an arm around the smaller girls shoulders, looking to the head above them, "We're heading back to Spargus for now, Vin, but we'll see you soon, okay?"

"Right-o, I'll be here!" the construct chirped and disappeared back into the system, leaving them alone in the blue glow of the computer consoles.

"Ready to go, Ter?"

The blonde girl started, having been staring at the place where the head had been. She looked back at him, at the hand he had outstretched to her, and nodded, fingers lacing with his as he lead her from the building and out onto the metal ramp it was perched on.

"Hey," he gave her hand a squeeze, making her look at him, "You alright?"

"I'm fine." She did her best to smile, lips barely moving, "Promise."

Jak said nothing more, releasing her hand so that they could both grab their jet boards and take off, heading silently for the port and the transport that would take them home. Neither said a thing as they boarded the courier and sat down, each lost in their own thoughts as the thing took off and headed out over the Wastelands.

It wasn't till they were almost there that he heard her sobbing.

Startled, Jak sat up straight and moved closer, a hand touching her shoulder, "Tera?"

"Yes?" when the girl looked up he was startled by the tears that ran down her face, even more so when she gasped and whipped them away quickly, looking down, "D-dammit… I can't-"

"Shh." He'd pulled her to him in an instant, pressing her face to his chest even as she started to cry again, hand rubbing up and down her back in what he hoped was a soothing motion.

"W-we couldn't _save_ him." She whimpered, clinging to his shirt, "We c-couldn't do _anything_, Jak! A-and now he's _stuck_ there, a-alone because no one _goes_ there anymore…"

"_We_ do." He whispered, hold on her tightening, "_We_ go there, we visit him. That's… all we can do for him, Ter."

He fell silent then, just letting her cry into his shirt, knowing she'd fallen asleep when the sobs stopped. He carried her out when the transport reached Spargus, heading for home and curling close to her on her tiny bed, not wanting to leave her alone.

He knew how she felt; remembered how guilty he'd been when he'd realized how everyone in Sandover probably _died_ when they'd shot forwards to Haven, when he thought about how many people had likely died in both wars, both in Haven and in Spargus, remembered how he'd felt before Damas had been brought back to life.

Even heroes couldn't save everyone.


	5. Story 5: Romantic For You

**Authors Note:** Originally, this fic was going to be for Valentine's day, but obviously that didn't happen. However, I found I could easily re-work it to revolve around a certain blonde girls birthday, and thus you have the fic you're about to read. There _was_ going to be some limey bits, but I can't get myself to write 'em right now so enjoy what you get~

* * *

**Title:** Romantic for You

**Era:** Post-Jak3, Pre-JakX

**Prompt:** Tera's bday

**Dedicated to:** Anyone who's birthday is this month lol

**Warnings: **_attempted_ limey bits but that doesn't rly happen lol

When Jak stepped down from the elevator, alone and looking anxious, Damas knew something was going on.

First, Jak _never_ looked anxious; he always played the part of the 'stoic warrior' to a T, or he would be smirking and laughing at something that had happened. Second, Tera was nowhere in sight, and Jak usually _never_ went anywhere without her. Which meant something was going on that had to do with the blue channeler, and Damas had an idea of what it was.

"Damas, I need advice."

"I'm listening."

"What…" Jak stopped, hesitating. Then he sighed, "what do you get… a girl for their… birthday…"

The last part came out as a mumble, but Damas caught the meaning. Much to his son's annoyance, the old king couldn't help but laugh.

"Surely you've given her birthday presents before, Jak; you've known each other for how many years now?"

"Yeah, but those were just… she wasn't, y'know…" seeing his son stumbling over words made the king want to laugh again, but he held it in, "we were just _friends_ then. I want to… give her something special this time, but..."

"I understand," now Damas chuckled, recalling his own youth as he beckoned Jak to sit down for a moment, "I went through that with your mother during our younger days. You just have to get creative."

"What did you give her?" Jak had never heard much about his mother, and he had to admit he was curious. This was the time period his younger self had technically come from, and yet there was no sign nor any word said of her.

"It was early in my reign over Haven, since your grandfather passed away rather early; I was a year older then you are, I believe. In any case, I had just married your mother, and we were swamped by advisors day in and day out, constantly busy. The palace held no refuge from the problems, and so, I created one for us."

Jak blinked, eyebrows drawn, "Oh?"

"Yes." Damas nodded to himself, thinking back, "I rented an apartment under a false name, and we would escape there when we needed some alone time, starting with her birthday that year." The king smiled fondly, looking at Jak, "I don't know if that will help you, at all, but it is an idea."

"That does, actually." Jak had perked suddenly, almost jumping from the stairs, "Thanks, Damas, I'll see you later."

He knew exactly what to do, now; he just had to ask Samos if he minded, first…

* * *

"So… where are we going?"

"You'll see."

It had been a week since Jak's discussion with Damas, and he'd been working his ass off to get Tera's birthday present ready in time. Somehow he had managed, thank the Precursors, and now all he had to do was lead the girl to it without her figuring out where they were.

Hence the blindfold he had secured over her eyes.

Dead-town was now in the process of being torn-down and rebuilt, though they thankfully hadn't gotten anywhere near Samos' old hut yet. Even once they did, they would never tear it down; it had been a sacred site for far too long. Jak was counting on that fact, at least; after asking Samos' permission, he'd spent the last week fixing up the old hut. Walls were rebuilt, stairs fixed, and the second floor widened and made accessible again. The place held a lot of good memories for the two of them, and thus it had seemed like the perfect place to turn into a hide-away of sorts.

Now all he had to do was get her there without either of them falling over some pit of rubble.

Thankfully, a fair distance of the path _had_ already been cleared in preparation for the rebuilding to begin, and thus he really only had to worry about Tera tripping during the second half of the trip. He'd considered picking her up and carrying her there, but, knowing Ter, that would only piss her off, and thus he resisted the temptation.

He hadn't let her carry her own pack, however, though he'd let her choose the garments to bring along; just some sleep stuff and extra clothes for the next day, nothing big. He just didn't want her weighed down at all for the trip to the hut. Tera was agile and good at keeping her balance; it came with being what she was, but with the differed weight of a pack on her back, she might not be as able to maneuver as well as she normally could.

Thankfully, the old hut soon loomed ahead of them, highlighted against the darkening sky by the lantern he'd left burning there. Jak carefully led her up the fixed-ramps, glad they didn't squeak as they'd used to. They reached the balcony and he nudged her into the door, coming up behind her.

Reaching for the ties of the blindfold, Jak leaned close to her ear, whispering "Happy birthday, Ter."

Pale blue eyes blinked at the sudden light that hit them, going wide when she realized just where she was. Samos' hut looked just like it had when she'd been growing up, minus the warp gate and multiple glowing plants. The walls had all been redone, and the windows and door were back where they were meant to be; no more huge holes or mess of destruction left.

"Jak… you did all this?" Tera looked back at her boyfriend now, still shocked, "how…"

"I thought we could use it when we wanted to get away from everyone," he grinned, gently pushing her further in. Jak stopped and strode forwards, reaching for a cord hanging from the ceiling that Tera hadn't noticed before. He gave it a yank and stepped back, the familiar mini-spiral of stairs unfolding in a sudden motion. When she gave him a questioning look, Jak simply grinned, "Go ahead."

Hesitantly, the blonde girl stepped forwards and took hold of the railing, carefully climbing up the rather tiny steps. She had never been on the second floor, even when she was younger; it had been Samos' bedroom, a place neither she or Keira had ever dared to venture.

Now, however, Tera could only gasp and stare when she reached the second level. Whatever it had been before, Jak had changed it into a rather intimate little bedroom obviously meant for the two of them. The single window faced up more than out, letting in lots of light while allowing them full privacy; a single sheer curtain hung from the top of it, attached at the bottom to billow out over it.

The bed took up most of the tiny-space, easily a queen in size; it was close to the ground and had a small mountain of pillows spread near the top. The whole area was lit by a single, small lamp, perched on the one nightstand sitting against the side closest to her; a small dresser sat at the end of the bed, and the only clear patch of floor was right where she stood.

Hearing movement behind her, Tera stepped forwards to let Jak up, giving him a bright smile once he'd finished pulling the stairs up behind him, "Jak, this is amazing! I can't believe how well you fixed it up!"

"Hey, it's me; I can do anything." the hero smirked, stepping closer in order to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest, "I wanted to do something _special_ for you, Ter…"

"Thank you…" the words were barely out when he bent down to kiss her, claiming her lips in a sweet, sweet kiss.

It was all Tera could do to clutch his shirt and respond, eyes fluttering closed. Her heart thumped when he pushed her back suddenly, heel catching on the bed and sending them both tumbling backwards onto it.

Tera gasped, but Jak just kissed her again, hand drifting down from her waist to rest on her thigh. The girl blushed but pulled him closer all the same, her own hand moving up so she could thread her fingers through his hair. Jak mumbled his approval against her lips and pressed against her, hand drifting lower…

**BANG BANG **"HEY LOVE BIRDS, THE PAR-TAY IS HERE~"

Jak jumped up, eyes snapping open in surprise. Tera could only blink up at him, smiling wryly, "You told Dax what you were planning, didn't you?"

"Unfortunately." Jak sighed, then turned to shout "WE'LL BE DOWN IN A MINUTE!" the hero ran a weary hand through his hair, turning to offer her a hand, "He's probably brought the whole damn gang, too."

"Oh well." Tera took the offered hand and let him pull her up, leaning against him in order to steal another kiss, "Thank you for this."

Jak just smirked, "Happy birthday, Tera."


	6. Story 6: Best Kept Secrets

**Authors Note: **This chapter… is a bit different than the others I've written/posted to TLC's before. First off, it is obviously the _first_ TPL themed of the chapters, and thus deals with the characters at an age we haven't _seen_ in a while. Secondly, it deals with a bit of a… touchy subject-matter; sexual attraction in under aged individuals. That isn't to say that there's any actual sexual _content_ in this chapter; rather, it is _thought_ and _talked_ about. It's the curiosity type of content, not the _action_ type of content.

That said, it also deals with something I've been mentally dabbling with for a while, even though I hadn't thought about it back when I first wrote Book's 1 and 2; the possibility that Jak may have been leaning towards Tera even before nearer the end of Book2. Why not, after all? And, assuming that all my readers _like_ the JakxTera pairing, I hope that this isn't too far out of line. I'm also hoping I can manage to keep TPL Jak IC, because, well, Book1 was written entirely in Tera's POV, so for once we get to see _his_ thoughts. Either way, please enjoy this strange little chapter.

**Title: **Best Kept Secrets

**Era:** Post-Precursor Legacy, Pre-Jak2, plus a bit during Jak2 at the end

**Rating:** PG-16 for sexual thoughts

**Prompt:** Spying

**Dedicated to:** Any of my reviewers who believed that Jak was leaning more towards Tera _before_ the events of Book2

**Warnings:** Under-aged boys spying on naked, under-aged girls; indecent thought processes; Daxter being a pervert

* * *

When Daxter had woke him up that morning, hyper and raring to go, Jak knew something was off.

First off, Daxter _never_ got up early; the ottsel was always the _last_ person out of bed, and even then he would usually groan and complain before finally allowing them to drag him from his bed. Second, even once he _was_ up, all he usually ever wanted to do was laze around the village or go down to the beach, and never was he this incessantly _bouncy_.

Nonetheless, Jak pushed himself up with a near silent groan and eyed his friend for a moment before climbing out of bed, surprised at first to find he was the sole occupant of the fluffy thing. It was only as he was pulling on his usual blue tunic that the teen remembered that Tera hadn't spent the night with them for once, since she'd wanted to stay up later to help Keira with the… rift… thing they'd found.

It was strange, really, not having her there when he woke up in the morning, and Jak frowned at the empty bed, eyebrows drawn together. Huh.

"Oi, what's the hold up? C'mon, Jak, I got somethin' t'_show_ yah, hurry up!"

Daxter's demands shook the blonde boy from his thoughts, Jak rolling his eyes and bending so his friend could jump up onto his shoulder, heading out at a light pace. His Uncle was vacant from the main room of the hut, and Jak figured it was still pretty early, since the sun wasn't quite at its peak yet.

Likewise, not a soul stirred in the village as he left the hut, glancing up at the far end and frowning a bit. Usually, Keira would be up early, messing with the machine they'd found at the silos. Today, however, Samos' front porch was empty, the Sage's hut as quiet as all the others.

Strange. Again, Jak just shrugged it off, plodding along towards the beach at Daxter's insistence, surprised that even the _sand worms_ seemed to be sleeping. He slanted his friend a dirty look, as if to say _Daxter, why the __**hell**__ are we awake so early?_

The ottsel only grinned again, reading his expression flawlessly, "I told ya, it's a _surprise_! Oh, go _up_ the hill, towards th'waterfall, but don't get to close yet."

Still puzzled, but figuring they were already almost there anyways, Jak just shrugged and continued on, giving him another look, _This better be good, Dax._

"I swear it is, oh best friend of mine!"

Jak sighed silently and started towards the hillside, jumping up the craggy ledges till they were on the top, near the first windmill. He always could have just taken _that_ to the top, but Jak had always thought it to be the 'lazy route', the one reserved for Daxter.

The teens ears pricked at the sound of rushing water ahead of them, accompanied by softer noises that he couldn't quite make out. A few feet from the edge Daxter pulled on his ear a bit, whispering suddenly, "Okay buddy, y'gotta get _down_ on the grass and be _quiet_, kay? Peep over the edge but don't be _seen_!"

Seen? Now Jak's eyebrows shot up again, the blonde beyond puzzled. What in precursors sake were they hiding from, the _fish_? Nonetheless, he did as told and dropped down on his stomach, slowly inching towards the edge. Once there, he heard Daxter give a wicked chuckle, and cautiously peered over the ledge.

Jak froze almost immediately at what he saw, face turning red as he realized exactly what Daxter had brought him to see.

Keira and Tera splashed around in the water below him, explaining their absence from the village. But that wasn't what stopped him; it was the fact that they were obviously there to bathe. Just below him. _Naked_.

Unable to _believe_ that his friend had stooped to this level of perversity, Jak reached out and snatched Daxter back from the ledge, clamping one hand over his eyes and the other around his arms. The ottsel made a quiet sound of protest but knew better then to do any more, struggling silently against his stronger friend.

And as terrible and _wrong_ as he knew it was, Jak couldn't help but keep watching over the edge of the cliff, curious despite himself. He was, after all, a teenage boy; one whom had begun to wonder about girls and to become attracted to them, specifically to Keira.

Despite that fact, however, Jak found it wasn't the teal haired girl his gaze was locked on; rather, it was the blue-blonde girl he called his best friend. He found himself frozen, unable to look away, still holding Daxter back away from the ledge.

Tera was the very definition of _lanky_, as he knew from Samos' lectures that all blue channelers were (hell, if he were honest, Jak himself was fairly lean), and she'd barely even hit puberty yet, adding to the extreme gainliness of her body. Mentally, he knew Keira was curvier, since she didn't exactly _hide_ it even when she was clothed, but he wasn't interested in looking at her; only at Tera.

Because as soon as he'd processed those thoughts, the blonde girl had turned and climbed up onto a little outcropping of rock, standing and unknowingly baring herself to his curious eyes, showing him that he had been _wrong_. She was lanky as hell, yes, but her body did have _some_ miniscule curvature, not completely boyish. Her hair, though short, was long enough when drenched that it had plastered itself all over the back and sides of her neck, several strands even managing to lick pale shoulders.

Blue eyes followed those strands of hair down, landing on her small chest and staying there for a moment. Unlike Keira, Tera's breasts were small and perky, looking as though they would fit nicely in the palm of his hand.

Jak barely had time to realize what he'd just thought when a drop of water running down between her breasts caught his attention, gaze following it down as it slid towards more private parts, the teen freezing again and flushing scarlet. So _that_ was what girls looked like down there, he mused silently, staring. All clean and soft and _hidden_, at that part where a man could put-

Jak jolted from those thoughts with a silent gasp, mouth gone dry and pants suddenly much tighter then they had been a moment before. He was up in an instant, practically _running_ away from the ledge despite Daxter's whining and complaining from his shoulder, face and ears stained bright red at what he'd realized.

He… he was attracted to _Tera_. _Very_ attracted to her, if his bodies reaction meant anything. And half the time, they shared a bed at night, _innocently_ shared a bed because Tera _trusted_ him and oh, _Precursors_, how could he do that _now_?

Right now, though, he wasn't worried about that; all he was worried about was getting rid of the embarrassing tightness in his pants _before_ the girls got back to the village. And, that thought in mind, he jumped right off the damn bridge near the bird ladies hut and into the cold, shallow water there despite Daxter's sudden shrieking.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Jak came back from his recollections with a near-silent gasp, eyes relocking on the very girl that had forced the memories to suddenly come back.

He'd come in from a mission and gone straight to the bathroom of the small flat he shared with Dax and Tera, not even bothering to check if the blonde girl was around because he was _filthy_ and exhausted and he _needed_ a shower. And, wouldn't you know it, Tera was in the shower.

Jak had gone immediately silent, memories of Sandover flooding him as soon as he spotted his friend. Tera, once again, hadn't noticed him; there shower was one of those stupid clear corner things that you could see right through, but her back was facing him and, where any sane person would have immediately fled, Jak couldn't resist the urge to simply _look_ at her.

She'd grown her hair out in the two years since he'd last seen her, the blue ends now stuck haphazardly all over her shoulders and back. She was still lanky and slim, but he liked that about her, and his eyes rested on her ass for a long moment.

What would she do, he wondered, if he joined her. Stepped past that barricade and took their relationship further, beyond simple friendship. He certainly felt something deeper for _her_, though he was loath to admit it or even put a _word_ to the feeling. Would she welcome him into her space, her body, or would she push him away and call him a monster like everyone else?

Tera had promised to never be afraid of him, to never call him a monster, but how would she react to this situation, this feeling?

In the end, Jak realized that joining her now would be a mistake; the only thing it would spark would be a physical reaction, not necessarily an emotional one. He couldn't do that to her, couldn't simply force his desires on the girl he'd begun to care about.

So, silently, Jak backed up and out of the bathroom, softly closing the door and retreating to his room, sitting on the edge to keep from dirtying the covers. One day, he would know what this feeling was, and he would act on it. For now, he would just remember those moments of male weakness, and keep them his best kept secrets.


	7. Story 7: Building Sandcastles

**Authors Note:** Happy 2011 guys! Here's hoping you enjoy the first chapter of the new year; I haven't had the time, energy, or ideas to write much of anything lately, and this probably won't be very long, but hey! It's something. Enjoy!

**Title: **Building Sandcastles

**Era:** Mid-Jak3, during the Kleiver disk challenge

**Rating: **PG (wow that's the lowest I've gone lol)

**Prompt:** Sandcastles

**Dedicated to:** Magic! For giving me the prompt :3

**Warnings:** None

* * *

"Bet you can't beat my record. If y'do, y'can have the crystal. But don't get to cocky, _no one's_ beaten me record."

Tera could only role her eyes at the glint in Jak's eyes at the prospect of the challenge, waving him off towards the gun turret with a sigh, "Go on, trigger-happy, I can see you're _dying_ to try it."

"Be done in a bit."

"Yeah, yeah, go on."

"Think I'll stick with Ter…" Daxter hopped onto the girls shoulder and leaned against her head, echoing Teras sigh as they watched Jak eagerly climb up the turret mound to get to the gun. Hot and rather bored, the channeler moved back a bit and plopped down in the sand, resting her chin in her hand as she stared out at the ocean in front of her.

Letting out a breath, the blonde glanced around again, eyes landing on the sand in front of her. One ear pricked curiously, eyes narrowing a little, a grin working its way onto her lips. She moved forwards onto her knees suddenly, beginning to pile sand in front of her, still grinning.

"Ter, whatchaohhhhh!" Daxter's eyes went wide, the ottsel immediately leaping off her shoulder to help pile sand up, working on forming a building between them, piling more and more sand to extend the shape, the form.

They ignored the weird looks they were getting from passing wastelanders, ignored Kleiver's sneers, and kept on building their castle, feeling, for the first time in years, free, as they had in Sandover.

Jak cleared the challenge and climbed back down, smirking and claiming his prize from Kleiver. When he turned, however, the smirk fell into something like shock, and then a sort of calm remembrance, a rare expression from the worn-out hero.

Walking over, he bent down beside Tera and grinned, lifting an eyebrow, "Whatcha doin' Ter?"

The blonde girl merely grinned back, "Buildin' Sandcastles."


End file.
